


The Deal

by SadinaSaphrite



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, It's the "Recruit McCree into Blackwatch" scene, Mild Language, stream of consciousness writing, you know the one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-26
Updated: 2017-07-26
Packaged: 2018-12-07 04:19:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11615718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SadinaSaphrite/pseuds/SadinaSaphrite
Summary: The kid sitting before him was a wildfire. All fire and anger, ready to lash out at anyone who got close, and who would burn anything he touched, even if he didn’t mean to. With the right guidance and direction, Gabe was sure he could temper that fire, teach the kid to channel it, turn that wild anger at the world into steel focus. Give him a direction, and he could turn this kid into a lethal force of nature.***The "McCree Join Blackwatch or Go Directly to Jail, Do Not Pass Go" Deal, as told by Gabe's stream of consciousness.





	The Deal

**Author's Note:**

> Part of Blackwatch Week 2017. The prompt was "Recognition," and I played a little loose with the term and referred to Gabe recognizing McCree's potential. This scene has been done over and over by better writers than I, so I just used the prompt as a writing exercise and did the entire piece as a stream of consciousness; no dialogue, no descriptive narrative. To even it out, Day Seven's prompt will be done entirely as dialogue, with no narrative whatsoever.

If there was one thing Gabriel Reyes could do, it was recognize talent. He enjoyed it. Analyzing people, figuring out what they were, what they had the potential to become, and the Deadlock brat he’d hauled into the interrogation room was no exception. 

The kid sitting before him was a wildfire. All fire and anger, ready to lash out at anyone who got close, and who would burn anything he touched, even if he didn’t mean to. With the right guidance and direction, Gabe was sure he could temper that fire, teach the kid to channel it, turn that wild anger at the world into steel focus. Give him a direction, and he could turn this kid into a lethal force of nature.

Not that the kid wasn’t already off to a great start in that regards. The kid’s aim was something he hadn’t seen in years. If it weren’t for Gabe’s training and SEP reflexes, he was sure the kid would have put a bullet between his eyes, even with the piece of shit revolver the brat had been carrying. 

The kid was glaring at him now. Gabe started to make conversation, not wanting to toss him the offer right off the bat. Good aim and a lot of anger didn’t mean a lot if that was all there was to him. A lot of gang kids were that way; hating everything because hate was all they had left. 

Geez. The kid’s wit was as sharp as his aim. Good. Meant he was smart (or at least witty), and the way he held his chin proudly in the face of Gabe’s best glower let him know that the kid had a strong will, too. And—ah. There it was. The kid had spit in his face. Literally. Gabe had almost been expecting it. He certainly had spirit, if nothing else. Time to see if that boldness was born of bravery or just being too dumb to know when he was in trouble. 

Gabe took the kid’s handcuff’s off, invited him to back his bold words up with action. C’mon, kid. Take the bait. Make the first move. The kid was happy to oblige, and the real interview began. The kid may have been a good shot, but his hand-to-hand was abysmal. Gabe led him on for a bit, then turned the heat up, letting the kid know that even a wildfire could be snuffed out, and if he thought he was hot stuff, that was because he hadn’t yet met Commander Gabriel Reyes. He gave his words meaning, and followed them with action, roughing the kid up. Not with the intention of hurting him, but with the intention of drawing out who the kid really was.

The kid knew he was beat, but he wasn’t going to go down without a fight. And there was something more. He didn’t fight with the desperation of a wounded animal, and though he fought dirty, it was without the malice he’d seen in the other Deadlock thugs. Gabe waited until he thought he’d learned all he could from the way the kid swung at him, then finished it, easily knocking the kid to the ground and let him know in no uncertain terms that this fight was over.

There it was. The eyes never lied. Pride, but not arrogance. Fear, but not cowardice. Anger, but not maliciousness. And even now, with Gabe holding him helpless, his eyes held something Gabe didn’t expect to see.

Hope.

Even on his last legs, with no way out, the kid wasn’t ready to give up.

That’s what did it for him, that raw determination. Gabe let him up. Even helped the kid to his feet. Then he offered the kid the Deal. 

The kid was understandably confused. The Deal seemed to come out of the blue. Gabe gave him some more details, let him know what he’d be doing. What he could become. And if he refused, he could spend the rest of his life—no, dumbass, we were never going to kill you, what the hell kind of hero organization do you think we are?  
Deal’s on the table. Now or never.

He accepted.

“Welcome to Blackwatch, Jesse McCree.”


End file.
